How to Become a Digital Nomad - Key Things to Plan
So, you've mastered some key skills, decided that you're going to live the digital nomad life, and you've finally picked a date to head out onto the road. Congrats. Heading out into the world and becoming a digital nomad is an epic, rewarding journey. But, even though the digital nomad life may seem to be more carefree than a normal full time job, there are still a few key things that you should plan before you travel.
Sure, booking a flight and figuring out where you're going to set up your digital nomad shop for the first little while is super fun and enough to get you going. Maintaining the digital nomad lifestyle for the long term, however, does take a bit of prep work. But don't worry. It's not a lot of prep work, and your new digital nomad lifestyle will thank you. To get you going, I've outlined a few of the key things you should look into to kick start your planning.
Eco-friendly Travel
When travelling abroad and living the digital nomad lifestyle, it's important to think about the environments in which you are calling home. Flying in planes, commuting on buses, drinking from paper coffee cups in cafes throughout the globe all have an impact on the earth. So, how can you make yourself a more sustainable traveler right from the start of your digital nomad journey? Bring reusable beverage items.
Reusable beverage items are small, easy to pack, and can be used everyday. Things like plastic straws, paper coffee cups and plastic water bottles are all single-use items, and these items can become used more frequently as you work from cafes and other establishments. Your move? Commit to using reusable items to save this beautiful planet while exploring it.
Travel Medical Insurance
Another important thing to plan out before you head on your digital nomad journey is travel medical insurance. Every country poses its own risks, and, of course, injury and sickness can happen no matter where you are in the world. This means you'll want to make sure you have travel medical insurance planned before you leave your home country. That way, you'll be covered from day one, no matter what happens to you.
The good news is, travel medical insurance is fairly cheap. Some credit cards even include it as a benefit.
Pack the Right Gear
Now, when setting up for a digital nomad lifestyle, the gear you take with you to fulfill that lifestyle can be the most important part of your planning process. This is because the right gear can make or break your digital nomad success. The wrong gear, and travelling through the world trying to make money can be frustrating. The right gear, and travelling while making money is a breeze.
So, what gear is the best gear to bring when you're starting out? Well, the gear is pretty technology-based, as you'll need to tap into the greater world on a regular basis. Luckily you only need a few key items, though. Here are a few ideas:
A good solid laptop (think Macbook Pro) with a heavy duty case in case you drop that thing on some of your epic treks.
A Digital SLR Camera with WiFi capabilities for quickly transferring high quality photos to your phone for social media use.
Travel Tripods for properly setting up photographs.
A compact backpack with a laptop sleeve, as well as a proper camera bag that can be inserted into your backpack.
A working cellphone that can accept foreign SIM cards.
A notebook and a pen (old school technology)
Planning your digital nomad life can seem like a bit of a pain when you're trying to escape the routine-based life that most of us are used to, but trust me. A little bit of planning will make your digital nomad lifestyle a lot more safe, eco-friendly and stress free in the long run. And just remember, any type of planning involving travelling isn't actually a pain; it's fun. Enjoy.
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